Woman arraigned for DUI

August 9, 2013

An area woman went before a judge at Kent County Superior Court last Thursday, facing multiple charges stemming from an alleged hit-and-run accident in East Greenwich during the winter months.

Amanda Ashman, 23, of Glocester, was arraigned on the charges of driving under the influence/serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of an accident/serious bodily injury (two counts), driving to endanger/personal injury, driving to endanger/physical injury, DUI and possession of a controlled substance.
Ashman entered pleas of ânot guiltyâ in the courtroom.
Ashman is accused of hitting two pedestrians who were walking along a crosswalk near the corner of Main Street and Church Street adjacent to The Greenwich Hotel just before midnight on Feb. 20 and allegedly fled the scene.
A 49-year-old male suffered serious injuries that kept him in the hospital for several months, according to published reports, as a result of the accident. A 40-year-old woman suffered a lower leg injury in the incident, but recovered.
As previously reported in The Pendulum, at around the same time the East Greenwich Fire Department responded to the scene on Feb. 20, the Wickford Barracks of the R.I. State Police received word from the East Greenwich Police Department about the incident and the Lincoln Barracks received a 911 call from an eyewitness who was following the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident on Route 95 North in Warwick. According to a press release from the R.I. State Police sent out back in February, the caller advised to officers that the operator â Ashman â allegedly appeared to be intoxicated based on how the vehicle was being operated and the high rate of speed it was traveling.
Ashman was placed under arrest by State Police following a traffic stop on Route 44 in Smithfield and a brief investigation revealed the vehicle had sustained damage consistent with a car pedestrian accident and Ashman was alleged to be highly intoxicated, recording a blood alcohol level more than three times the 0.08 legal limit.
Ashman, on Thursday, was released on personal recognizance and, as a condition of bail, she is not allowed to drive. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Sept. 10.